I read a story a couple of weeks back in the daily bread. It touched me, for reasons I couldn't explain at the time, so I bookmarked it. It was the story of a boy walking on a beach. Encountering hundreds of starfish dying under the heat of the burning sun, he started throwing them back into the sea. A passerby asked, “What are you doing?” “Saving their lives,” the boy replied. “Forget it,” the man said. “You can’t possibly save all these starfish.” “Right,” replied the boy, “but it makes a big difference to each one I do save.”
This past week, I had the opportunity to meet with the son-in-law of the woman who is mentoring me through this experience. He has been on both short and long term missions, and he had some wonderful advice to give me. One question that he asked me was, "What do you think will be the hardest thing for you while you are in South Africa?" Honestly, I hadn't thought about this. Nicole and I have talked endlessly about the amazing things we will experience, the people we will meet, and the wonderful things that God will do in our lives while we are there. But I hadn't really thought about the reality of the trip.
I think the hardest thing for me is going to be seeing the need there in Africa, and not knowing what my role is in meeting that need. There are certain things that I know about myself: I know that I love to serve people, I know that I have a heart for other people, especially children, I know that I have a heart for Africa, and thus I know that my heart is going to break for the African people when I can finally understand what life is like there.
My challenge is going to be answering the questions: How do I love and serve these people, especially these children, knowing that I cannot meet all of these needs? How do I come home and pursue my dream to become an international adoptions coordinator knowing that there are too many children for me to find homes for? How do I not let that discourage me? My answer: the same way that the boy at the beach did. One starfish at a time. Even though I can't save them all, it makes a big difference to the ones I do save.
This past week, I had the opportunity to meet with the son-in-law of the woman who is mentoring me through this experience. He has been on both short and long term missions, and he had some wonderful advice to give me. One question that he asked me was, "What do you think will be the hardest thing for you while you are in South Africa?" Honestly, I hadn't thought about this. Nicole and I have talked endlessly about the amazing things we will experience, the people we will meet, and the wonderful things that God will do in our lives while we are there. But I hadn't really thought about the reality of the trip.
I think the hardest thing for me is going to be seeing the need there in Africa, and not knowing what my role is in meeting that need. There are certain things that I know about myself: I know that I love to serve people, I know that I have a heart for other people, especially children, I know that I have a heart for Africa, and thus I know that my heart is going to break for the African people when I can finally understand what life is like there.
My challenge is going to be answering the questions: How do I love and serve these people, especially these children, knowing that I cannot meet all of these needs? How do I come home and pursue my dream to become an international adoptions coordinator knowing that there are too many children for me to find homes for? How do I not let that discourage me? My answer: the same way that the boy at the beach did. One starfish at a time. Even though I can't save them all, it makes a big difference to the ones I do save.
